Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-06-08


lan's first disappointment He began the
march up tho Peninsula April 4, 1862. His
army was divided into two columns, right
and left. The right marched up along York
river toward Yorktown, under Gen. Heint-
zelman. The left, commanded by Gen. Keyes,
followed the James river up toward Williams
burg BY following tho line Of march upon
the map, the course Of the two columns will
bo clear. Keyes was to proceed as rapidly as
might be on the west and occupy Halfway
House, point on the narrow dividing ridge
which formed the watershed between the
York and James rivers. He was to halt here
and by all means prevent either the escape OF
tho Confederate garrison at Yorktown or the
throwing III Of tre.enforcements to them.
Keycs YVES expected to reach Halfway
House April 5. But he did not The two
months rain Of the spring Of 1862 began as
tho Federal army began to move. Tho roads
became at some points impossible for artil-
lery.
Another thing: In all the years that tho
United States hal been country there never
had been 0il accurate map made Of this part
OF Virginia. Or the region Immediately in
front of Heintzelnan's column there was no
better map than the ono made when tho Brit
ish besiegcd Yorktown in 1871. A govern
ment survey ot the Peninsula had been
made in 1918, but later than that there was
nothing to 20 by.
The land before McClellan's army was an
unknown region Of swamp, with rain pour
ing night and day, and lines Of heavy Con-
federatc Notifications between 1t and Rich
mond. or all this the two advancing COL
umns l:lcw nothing, except just that it
raincd. That was plain enough.
April 5 kcyes marched five miles out, en-
countered the Confederate Notifications at
Lees Mills and stopped. Seven miles below
Yorktown there was line Of Notifications
which, between the head Of Warwick river
and York river, narrowed to three miles
Besides that tho Ccnfederates had damned
the deep creeks flowing into the James and
Warwick rivers, which had backed the water
into impenetrable bogs.
The Confederate army Of the Peninsula was
under tho immediate command Of Gen. J.
Bankhead Magruder. He had prepared or
begun three lines of fortifcation across the
Peninsula. The first one was seven miles
below Yorktown. While Mcclellan had
been equipping his army and getting "good
ready" at Washington, the Confederates had
been for,ifying between him and Richmond.
1t was the Warwick river and the fortifca-
tions along its course which stopped McClel-
lan's army, both Heintzelman on the right
and Keyes on the left. This river on tho
maps Mcclellan had access to flowed parallel
with those rivers, nearly southeast In
reality it flowed across the Peninsula between
the rivers.
It made formidable barrier, fortified as it
was. Keyes' column stopped at Lees Mills,
on the Warwick, and encamped there.
Heintzelmans column approached nearer
Yorktown, where it was also stopped by the
Warwick. This was Hagruder's second and
most important line Of Notifications. The
first had been abandoned March 1. The old
line Of Notifications thrown up by the British
in 1871 had been revived by Magruder. Along
the line of the Warwick, stretched across the
Peninsula, were II, 900 Confederates, and this
was the force opposed to Mcclellan with bis
army of IS 900 neil.
President Lincoln kept dispatching to him
to "strike blow" Magruder expected an
attack His troops lay upon their arms in
the trenches several days awaiting the attack.
Opposite where McClellan's army lay, near
Yorktown, there were only 5000 southern
troops. There was some slirmishng, nothing
more If Mcclellan had Immediately attacked
Magruder he could have forced his line and
taken Yorktown without doubt.
For six days tho 5000 Confederates held
Yorktown against McClellan's $1,000. Then
it began to be plain what he was about. He
was digging in the ground around Yorktown,
throwing up earthworks, preparing to place
heavy siege guns and 60 into q regular invest
ment. He cut roads and built bridges. And
still it raincd, and McClellans soldiers sick
ened and died in the swamps Of the War.
wick.
One of the Confederate Notifications on the
Federal right was known as Dam No. /.
April 16 O reconnaissance Of the Confederate
position was made here by somo OF Gen.
William F. Smiths men, under orders from
the general in chief. Tho Warwick was
waist deep, but some Vermonters he
roically waded across and gained the
Confederate rifle pits, which they held
for half an hour. They were forced to
withdraw, tho Confedere es being quickly re-
enforced. Once more some other Vermont
troops wero ordered across, under protection
OF twenty guns, the division battery. But
they were met by heavy fire and were Or
dered back. Gen. Smith was exceedingly
anxious to mass the division and make bold